Schmidt



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. A. TAUB ERSOHMIDT. DETECTING APPARATUS FOR COIN AGTUATED BOXES.

No. 492,592. Patented Feb. 28, 1893.

. r ammtm wi/lmeowo A I cf @m M m: mums PEI'ERS 09.. PMQTO-UTHQ, WASHINGTON. my C.

UNITED STATES GEORGE A. TAUBERSOHMIDT, OF WVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PAT NT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWIN S. CLARKSON, OF SAME PLACE.

DETECTING APPARATUS FOR COIN-ACTUATED BOXE S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,592, dated February 28, 1893. I

Application filed December 6, 1 892. Serial No. 454,265. (No modeLl To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. TAUBER-' SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVashington, in the District of Golum-' bia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detecting Apparatus for Coin- Actuated Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to devices for detecting the theft of opera glasses in theaters and other places of amusement, where opera glasses are placed in receptacles and rented by dropping a coin in said receptacle and it consists in certain improvements which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof.

Numerous methods have beenemployed for renting opera glasses and the one in present use, which is considered the most practical, is known as the Fancher box, which has a coin chute, a disk having a coin seat into which the coin drops said disk having a knob on the exterior of the box whereby it is turned by the person dropping the coin thus bringing the coin in contact with a sliding bolt and unlocking the box thus leaving the lid free to slide down and leaving the glasses free for use. When these coin controlled receptacles age of the glasses were stolen.

were first introduced the company owning them trusted to the honesty of the public to return the glasses to the receptacle after the performance was over but soon found that this method would not do as a large percent- To overcome or prevent this wholesale theft of glasses light chains were attached to the glasses and connected to the receptacle, but this did not stop the theft of glasses for persons using them would cut the chains with knives &c.,so after a great deal of experimenting the owners were obliged to put heavy steel chains on the glasses, which to a certain extent proved successful, but even with these heavy steel chains the theft of glasses continues to a large extent, so much so, in fact that a large per cent. of the gross proceeds is put aside each year to pay for stolen glasses. The objection to this method of securing the'glasses, however, is that the chain is an inconvenience to the user of the glasses and there is no doubt a large percentage of theater goers that object to using an opera glass which is attached to a strong and heavy chain, and if the safety of the glasses could be assured without using this heavy chain the rental of the glasses would be materially increased. Other methods of preventing the theft of glasses have been tried and several patents have been granted for such devices but in use they have been found too expensive or impractical and the objectionable chain was again resorted to as the safest means of preventing the theft of the glasses.

This invention is designed to overcome the existing objections by providing a neat and unobtrusive connection between the glasses and receptacle of a color least discernable, and also an audible signal to indicate to the audience and attaches of the theater the theft of a pair of glasses the instant they have become disconnected from the connection by which they are connected to the receptacle or when the connection is disconnected glasses or the receptacle.

To accomplish the object of this invention the receptacle is provided with a tube or cord of silk, cotton, or any other suitable material sufficiently flexible, in which are run two insulated wires which may be Very fine or composed of a series of hair wires in a manner well known to electric workers. These Wires are connected to a dry battery located in the receptacle or they may be connected to outgoing and return conductors extending below the floor of the theater including a battery and electro magnet. All of the circuits from the receptacles may be supplied from a common battery or there may be several batteries for the several divisions or sections of the theater. 01' when the dry battery is employed each receptacle has its own source of electricity. The other end of this cord or tube containing the insulated wires is connected to the opera glass and the bare wires are connected to a magnet located on the opera glass which is engaged by a pawl having a contact point. This pawl engages a from the spring actuated drum or shaft which is in engagement with an escapement mechanism provided with a tapper or striker and located Within the plane in which the tapper moves is a bell or other suitable signal. Thus it will readily be seen that the instant the glasses are detached from the cord, or the cord severed the circuit will be broken and the pawl will, under the action of a spring, free itself from the magnet and spring drum thus permitting the drum to unwind under the action of the spring whereby the escapement mechanism is set in motion and the tapper or striker will strike the bell in a manner similar to the ordinary alarm clock for a predeview of an opera chair provided with a receptacle with this invention attached. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a pair of opera glasses with this invention attached. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, with part of the glasses cut' away. Fig. 4is a sectional view on the line 001 a: Fig. 2.

A represents a chair, in the arm of whichl is a suitable receptacle B. In this receptacle a dry battery 0 is placed, or if found more de-' sirable outgoing and return conductors D (shown in dotted lines) are run into the re- It is not material to the purpose of this inventionl ceptacle from the floor of the theater.

which of these two methods are used. (Jonnected to the battery C or the outgoing and return conductors are circuit wires 0 c'which are covered by means of a silk or cotton tube or cord 0' or in any other suitable manner.

Hereinafter when referring to these wires 0 c and tube 0 I shall refer to them as the guard.

D represents the opera glasses of the ordinary construction.

E is a magnet constructed in the well known manner and e is a pawl suitably pivoted and provided with acontact point which is adapted to engage the magnet.

F is a shaft upon which is secured a'gear wheel F and a ratchet F F is aspring one end of which is wound on the shaftF while the other end is suitably secured to the frame.

G represents a suitable escapement mechanism in engagement with atapper orstrikerg,

H is a bell.

I represents a suitable casement or frame of any suitable material in which the above mechanism is secured, said casement or frame having a perforated portion to allow the sound to come out. This frame is provided with a key hole whereby the spring may be wound up when necessary. Of course it is obvious that the key hole will be so secured that no one but an attach of the theater will be able to operate the mechanism. One end of the guard is connected to the magnetE while the other end is connected in the receptacle as above stated.

The operation is as follow's:-After the glasses have been secured to the receptacle by means of the guard the electric current is passed through said guard and the contact point on the pawl is attracted to and in engagement' with the magnet and the ratchet F thus preventing the spring F from unwinding. Now it will readily be seen that the instant the guard is cut or the glasses are detached from the guard or the guard detached from the receptacle the electric current through the wires cis broken and the spring f (there being no resistance in the magnet) will immediately pull the pawl away from the magnet thus disengaging it from the ratchet F and freeing the shaft F which with the v gear wheel F will be revolved thus operating the tapper or striker which will strike and continue to strike the bell until the spring is entirely unwound, thereby making an audible signal, somewhat similar to an alarm clock, which is calculated to cause the person stealing the glasses to drop them, for to retain them in his possession wouldlead to sure detection and arrest as the alarm will go and sound wherever the glasses are carried and the attachs on hearing the alarm will at once know that a pair of glasses have been stolen and the sound will direct them to the location of the chair from which they were taken, or still better (if the person take the glasses with him) to the exact location of. the person who has stolen the glasses in his possession. In practice this spring F will be of such length that the alarm will sound for a space of time equal to the time it takes a person to go (we will say) from the stage of the theater to the door. Thus it willbe seen that it ispractically impossible for a person to take a pair of glasses and get out of the theater without detection for the alarm, which is constantly ringing is always where the glasses are. Thus it readily will be seen that a simple, cheap yet efficient and practical detecting device is produced by this invention for articles that are placed on rentalin coin actuated and other receptacles in public places.

From the foregoing it is obvious that the practical result of this detecting apparatus is not dependent upon the specific mechanism shown and described but any suitable mechanism may be used as preferred by the person constructing the same. Therefore, the im portant part and scope of this invention lie in an audible signal alarm connected directly to the object rented and adapted to sound a continuous alarm for a period (dependent upon the spring employed) immediatelyupon the breaking of the circuit between the object rented and its receptacle.

It is obvious that many slight changes may be made in this construction without departing from the spirit of this invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do 492,592 l r e not strictly confine myself to the construction herein shown and described; but:

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with an opera glass, of an alarm mechanism attached thereto and an electricallycontrolled releasingdevice for said alarm mechanism, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a coin controlled receptacle of an opera glass; an audible signal on said glass; means to operate said signal, and a connection between the signal and receptacle for normally holding the signal out of operation.

3. The combination with a receptacle, of an opera glass an audible signal attached to said glass and a connection between the glass and receptacle whereby said signal is operated only when said connection is broken.

4. The combination with an opera glass, of a magnet and an alarm mechanism attached to said. glass, said magnet adapted to control said alarm mechanism and a circuit in said magnet said circuit being connected to a support for said glass whereby the alarm mechanism is operated by the breaking of the-circuit.

5. The combination with an opera glass of a magnet, an alarm mechanism attached to said glass, and controlled by said magnet, a' pawl operating as a detent for the alarm mechanism, an electric circuit in said magnet, said circuit being connected to a support for said glass. 7

6. The combination with an opera glass of an audible signal, a magnet a winding drum connected to said magnet, an escapement mechanism and circuit wires connected to said magnet, said wires forming a guard to connect said glasses to a stationary ob ect.

In testimony whereof 'I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. TAUBERSOHMIDT.

Witnesses:

JESSIE D. KINGSBERY, L. P. WHITAKER. 

